{"title":"The Road to Athens Editions","description":"\u003cp\u003eExplore every available edition of \u003cem\u003eThe Road to Athens\u003c\/em\u003e by Karl Cordes, including hardcover, paperback, audiobook, PDF, and EPUB formats.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-road-to-athens","title":"The Road to Athens","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Road to Athens\u003c\/em\u003e is an emotionally layered, character-driven coming-of-age novel for adults by Karl Cordes. Set in 1988, the story begins at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, Illinois, and follows the open road toward Athens, Ohio.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eLeaving suburban Chicago for college freedom, Ethan Brooks meets Jessica McCormick and enters a season of first love, unexpected hardship, and consequential choices. Through residence-hall friendships, coffee-shop conversations, and an Illinois-to-Ohio journey, they learn that growing into adulthood requires accountability, forgiveness, and the courage to change.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSet before smartphones and social media, the novel evokes campus traditions, music, cars, and the optimism of life in 1988. As the road turns toward Ohio University in Athens, its hopeful message becomes clear: people can make serious mistakes, face the consequences, and become better without being permanently defined by their worst decisions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eA nostalgic college story about growth and second chances\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis thoughtful campus novel will appeal to readers looking for:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cul\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eComing-of-age fiction centered on college-age adults\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eEmotionally layered romantic drama about friendship, first love, faith, and redemption\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eLate-1980s and pre-digital nostalgia\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eIllinois-to-Ohio road-trip fiction connecting Chicago, Carbondale, and Athens\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eNostalgic book-club fiction and college or alumni stories\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eCharacter-driven stories about mistakes, accountability, and second chances\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003ch2\u003eChoose your edition\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eHardcover, paperback, and audiobook editions are available now. Prefer digital reading? \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/theroadtoathens.com\/products\/the-road-to-athens-ebook\"\u003eOrder the e-book in PDF and EPUB formats for immediate delivery.\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eListen before you buy: \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/theroadtoathens.com\/pages\/audiobook\"\u003eExplore the audiobook page and hear a free Chapter One sample.\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003ch2\u003eComplete audiobook download\u003c\/h2\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSelect \u003cstrong\u003eAudiobook\u003c\/strong\u003e in the edition selector to purchase the complete recording for \u003cstrong\u003e$29.99\u003c\/strong\u003e. Includes all 60 chapters, Copyright, Dedication, Quote, Acknowledgments, and About the Author — approximately \u003cstrong\u003e11 hours and 10 minutes\u003c\/strong\u003e of audio.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eYour purchase includes six ZIP download packages containing MP3 tracks in numbered playback order. Download all six packages and extract them into the same folder to listen to the complete book. Part 1 includes the opening tracks and Chapters 1–18; Part 2 includes Chapters 19–29; Part 3 includes Chapters 30–34; Part 4 includes Chapters 35–39; Part 5 includes Chapters 40–52; Part 6 includes Chapters 53–60 and About the Author.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAfter successful payment, your download links are emailed automatically. This audiobook is a digital download and requires no shipping.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Road To Athens","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":53756574859578,"sku":"RTA-HC-9798952098091","price":25.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":53756574892346,"sku":"RTA-PB-9798952098084","price":16.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":53756574957882,"sku":"RTA-AUDIO-001","price":29.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1008\/5790\/5466\/files\/road-to-athens-cover.png?v=1784305268"},{"product_id":"the-road-to-athens-ebook","title":"The Road to Athens - eBook","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eOctober e-book special — $2.99.\u003c\/strong\u003e Celebrating \u003cem\u003eThe Road to Athens\u003c\/em\u003e at the Frankfurt Book Fair, October 7–11.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSome roads take you away. Some roads bring you home.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt’s 1988, and Ethan Brooks believes he has his future figured out. He’s eighteen, confident, ambitious, and ready to leave suburban Chicago behind for college and everything that comes with it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen one life-changing mistake changes everything.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEthan arrives at Southern Illinois University carrying the consequences of a summer he would rather forget. What he finds instead is a new group of friends, unforgettable experiences, and Jessica McCormick—a young woman whose warmth, strength, and belief in him begin to change the direction of his life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBut growing up rarely follows the road we expect.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFrom the residence halls and college bars of Carbondale to family celebrations, unexpected tragedy, second chances, and ultimately the brick-lined streets of Athens, Ohio, Ethan and Jessica discover that falling in love may be the easy part. Holding on to each other while life changes around them is something else entirely.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSet against the music, culture, cars, and college life of the late 1980s, \u003cstrong\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Road to Athens\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e is a nostalgic coming-of-age love story about friendship, family, mistakes, redemption, and those rare people who enter our lives and forever change where the road leads.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFor anyone who remembers their first great love, the friendships they thought would last forever, or the moment they realized they were no longer a kid.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSometimes finding your future means taking the long road home.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRead before you buy:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/pages\/kindle-ebook\"\u003eVisit the Kindle and e-book page for a free reading sample and instant-download options.\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"The Road To Athens","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53830983811386,"sku":"RTA-EB-9798952098077","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1008\/5790\/5466\/files\/road-to-athens-cover.png?v=1784305268"}],"url":"https:\/\/theroadtoathens.com\/collections\/books.oembed","provider":"The Road To Athens","version":"1.0","type":"link"}